Front panel attaching device for automatic vending machine

Abstract: To attach a front panel without difficulty to the external door of an automatic vending machine, an external door body 1 is equipped with: first guide means 41 having a guide groove 41a for gripping the lefthand edge of a front panel 3; second guide means 42 having a guide groove 42a for gripping the righthand edge of the same; and receiving means 43 having an arcuate groove 43a for gripping the upper edge of the same. The front panel 3 is inserted into those individual grooves 41a, 42a and 43a, and a stopper 6 acting as closing means is finally inserted in the bottom portion of the external door body 1, to prevent the front panel 3 from coming out. At the attaching time, the front panel 3 need not be forcibly folded so that the work can be eased while avoiding damaging of the front panel 3.

Description: The present invention relates to a device for attaching a front panel, which is illuminated from the back for giving an advertisement, to the front face of the external door of an automatic vending machine. Prior Art In the aforementioned mounting structure, as known in the prior art, a front panel 3 has its upper portion inserted in the direction of arrow into an aperture 2 of an external door body 1 of an automatic vending machine and then has its lower portion bent and inserted, as shown in Fig.4, until it is fixed by the not-shown backing plate. Problems to be solved the the invention The structure of the prior art requires a considerable force to bend and insert the front panel into the external door. Thus, the structure is accompanied by the problems that a troublesome work is required and that the front panel may have its marking face damaged if it is forcibly inserted. On the other hand, the automatic vending machine of recent years has a tendency that it becomes highly fashionable to enlarge the space for the front panel or that the front panel has its front face curved. Thus, the structure of the prior art involves more and more difficulty to attach the front panel. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention, to provide a front panel attaching device for an automatic vending machine, which can attach even a large-sized front panel without difficulty. Means for solving the problem In order to achieve the above-specified object, according to the present invention, there is provided a device for attaching a front panel to an automatic vending machine, which device is constructed to comprise: first and second guide means having guide grooves extending straight in a longitudinal direction with a predetermined depth and arranged to face each other at a predetermined angle and at a predetermined spacing from each other; receiving means having an arcuate groove bridging one-side ends of said first and second guide means to form one arcuate plane together with said two guide grooves; a front panel inserted under a stress in an arcuate form into said two guide grooves and said arcuate groove; and closing means for closing the other ends of said first and second guide means. In the above-specified construction, the predetermined angle formed by said two guide grooves may be an acute angle, and said guide grooves may be formed by two generally L-shaped plates. Moreover, one of said L-shaped plates may be formed of a front plate of the vending machine whereas the other may be formed of a backing plate having its leading end opened wide. According to the aforementioned means, the front panel attaching operation can be accomplished by inserting one of its righthand and lefthand edges into the guide groove of one of the first and second guide grooves, by then inserting the other edge while curving the front panel into the other guide groove with reference to the previously inserted edge, after this, by sliding the front panel to insert the upper edge into the arcuate groove of the receiving means so that the two righthand and lefthand edges are gripped by the two guide grooves whereas the upper edge is gripped by the arcuate groove, and finally by closing the lower edge with the closing means to prevent the front panel from coming out. As a result, the front panel can be attached with neither difficulty nor damage. Moreover, the front panel can be easily curved into an arched shape and inserted under a stress so that it stretches, after having been inserted, but does not become loose. An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. Fig.1 is a perspective view showing the manner in which a front panel is attached to an external door body, and Figs. 2(A) to 2(C) are enlarged sections taken along lines A - A, B - B, and C - C of Fig.1, respectively. In the individual figures showing the embodiment, the external door body, as designated at numeral 1, has its front face arched, and a front panel 3 of polycarbonate plastics or a sheet of other flexible material, is so large-sized that it can be attached to the substantially entire area of the door body 1. Here, this door body 1 is equipped with means for attaching the front panel 3 thereto. This attaching means is constructed, as shown in Fig. 1, to include first guide means 41 at the lefthand side, second guide means 42 at the righthand side, receiving means 43 at the upper side, and a stopper 6 acting as closing means at the lower side. As shown in Figs. 2(A) to 2(C), moreover: The first guide means 41 is formed with a guide groove 41a; the second guide means 42 is formed with a guide groove 42a; and the receiving means 43 is formed with an arcuate groove 43a. Thus, the front panel 3 has, when attached its lefthand edge, its righthand edge and its upper edge inserted into and gripped by the guide groove 41a, the guide groove 42a and the arcuate groove 43a, respectively. The guide grooves 41a and 42a are individual gutters which are made to extend straight in the longitudinal directions (i.e., vertical directions) and to have such depths as are necessary for receiving the righthand and lefthand edges of the front panel 3. Moreover, the guide grooves 41a and 42a are arranged to face each other at a predetermined spacing S (as shown in Fig.1) necessary for gripping the front panel 3 inbetween. Still moreover, the two guide grooves 41a and 42a are arranged to have their individual center lines C at a predetermined acute angle  (e.g., about 20 degrees in this case) with respect to a plane shown here as a horizontal line H. The receiving means 43 is formed to bridge one-side ends, i.e., the upper ends of the first and second guide means 41a and 42a so that its arcuate groove 43a forms one arcuate plane together with the guide grooves 41a and 42a. The two guide grooves 41a and 42a and the arcuate groove 43a are formed between such a front plate 1a of the external door body 1 as is folded generally into an L-shape and such a backing plate 5 as is likewise folded generally into an L-shape and fixed on the back of the front plate 1a. Moreover, the backing plate 5 has its leading end 5a folded inward at about 45 degrees to widen the openings of the individual grooves 41a, 42a and 43a thereby to facilitate the insertion of the front panel 3. The stopper 6 acting as the closing means is provided for preventing the front panel 3 from coming out of the lower edge. Thus, the stopper 6 is so inserted and fastened to the bottom portion (or the lower side) of the external door body 1 as to close the lower end openings of the guide grooves 41a and 42a of the first and second guide means 41 and 42. When the front panel 3 is to be attached, one of the righthand and lefthand edges, e.g., the lefthand edge is inserted into the guide groove 41a, and the other edge, i.e., the righthand edge is then inserted, while the sheet 3 being curved, into the guide groove 42a with reference to the previously inserted lefthand edge. In this case, the front panel 3 can be inserted more easily without any damage with the construction in which the backing plate 5 has its leading end 5a folded at about 45 degrees to widen the opening of the grooves 41a and 42a. Since, moreover, the front panel 3 is inserted under a stress into the two guide grooves 41a and 42a while being curved, it stretches after inserted so that it does not get loose. After this, the panel 3 is slid in the direction of arrow (i.e., upward) until its upper edge comes into the arcuate groove 43a. At last, the stopper 6 is fitted in the bottom portion of the external door body 1 and is fixed by not-shown screws to prevent the front panel 3 from coming out. The external door body 1 having the sheet 3 attached thereto is shown in a perspective section in Fig.3. The front panel can be electrically illuminated in a known manner. By the device of the present invention, as described, a front panel can be attached to an automatic vending machine with reduced work and without any fear of damage of the front panel, even if the latter is large-sized and curved. Description of the drawings Fig.1: A perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention in the state, in which a front panel is attached to the external door body of an automatic vending machine. Fig.2: Enlarged sections (A), (B) and (C) taken along lines A - A, B - B and C - C of Fig.1, respectively. Fig.3: A perspective view showing the external door body of Fig.1 having the front panel attached thereto. Fig.4: A longitudinal section showing the manner of the prior art for attaching a front panel to the external door body of an automatic vending machine. Designations of reference numerals 1 External door body 1a Front plate 3 Front panel 5 Backing plate 6 Stopper (or closing means) 41 First guide means 41a Guide groove 42 Second guide means 42a Guide groove 43 Receiving means 43a Arcuate groove  Angle of guide grooves S Spacing between guide grooves

Claims: A mounting structure adapted to attach a front panel to an automatic vending machine, characterized by: a) first and second guide means (41, 42) having guide grooves (41a, 42a) extending straight in a longitudinal direction of the front panel with a predetermined depth and arranged to face each other at a predetermined angle and at a predetermined spacing (S) from each other; b) receiving means having an arcuate groove (43), bridging one-side ends of said first and second guide grooves, so that the front panel (3) can be inserted, under a bending stress to assume an arcuate form, into said two guide grooves (41a, 42a), and can further be slid along the guide grooves until its curved edge enters said arcuate groove (43a); c) closing means (6) for closing the other ends of said first and second guide means. A device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined angle formed by said two guide grooves (41a, 42a) is an acute angle  formed by each of them with an intersecting plane (H). A device according to claims 1 or 2, wherein said guide grooves (41a, 42a) are formed by two generally L-shaped plates (1, 1a; 5, 5a). A device according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein one of said L-shaped plates (1a) is formed of a front plate (1) of the vending machine whereas the other is a backing plate (5, 5a) having its leading end opened wide.

Inventors: NISHIOKA TAKAYUKI, NISHIOKA, TAKAYUKI, NISHIOKA, TAKAYUKI, C/O FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
Applicants: FUJI ELECTRIC CO LTD, FUJI ELECTRIC CO. LTD.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: G09F23
IPC codes: G07F9, G09F23